Woodbury Man Sentenced in Sextortion Scheme

(KNSI) — A Woodbury man will spend 30 years in federal prison for running a two-year sextortion scheme that targeted children as young as 12 years old.

Thirty-eight-year-old Timothy Lennard Gebhart was sentenced in U.S. District Court for production and attempted production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and interstate communications with intent to extort.

Prosecutors say starting in July of 2021 until September of 2023, Gebhart used online platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, to pose as a teenager. He created 66 different Snapchat aliases to befriend youngsters and convince them to send sexually explicit videos and photos. After the materials were sent, Gebhart threatened to share the photos and videos with his victims’ classmates, friends, and family members unless they provided more explicit content. He also sent his victims disturbing videos depicting gruesome and violent deaths to shock them into compliance. His threats often included hateful language.

U.S. District Judge Jerry W. Blackwell called it a “deliberate, persistent sextortion scheme” when handing down the sentence.

Following his prison term, Gebhart will be on supervised release for 10 years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Woodbury Police Department, and Indiana State Police investigated the case.

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